I have used a great deal of various e-mail list systems for many years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a significant supporter of digital sovereignty and owning your very own system. Therefore (and the amazing features), I have actually been making use of Beehiiv Shopify Integration.
So, it is indeed an odd move for me to choose to make use of BeeHiiv. After all, it is a hosted application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv evaluation, I want to review why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I wish to address the concern of digital sovereignty while utilizing the system and I would certainly additionally such as to deal with why I picked to utilize it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For E-newsletters
In Issue # 435 of my newsletter called My Pastime + A Big Change In Approach, I talked about just how and why I decided to turn my recreational vehicle blog site right into primarily an e-newsletter. I made a decision that was the business version I intended to seek with that said residential or commercial property.
Yet, to deliberately pursue it as a newsletter, I desired a platform that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email checklist for Gladly recreational vehicle, yet FluentCRM is not a newsletter system. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, honestly, using it for newsletters is a little a waste. Much more on that particular in a bit.
As I claimed because concern of the newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a platform with devices built into it particular to my function. Points such as:
- Capacity to publish (to the blog) and send out the email all at once without having it be 2 separate actions.
- Integrated in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly have needed a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Built-in capacity to do cross-promotions with various other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are generally one-click registration web links. Great for promotion in various other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Links, though, so there are ways to do that.
- Ability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your newsletter.
- Built-in ad network, if I choose to monetize with ads in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and primarily run a premium e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Primarily, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter authors with features targeted at development. The system was literally constructed by the individuals that built up the innovation for Early morning Mixture. They know what they’re doing.
That is the factor here. BeeHiiv is developed from scratch for the objective of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a various purpose.
And I ended off with this:.
I may undoubtedly be moving The Side over to BeeHiiv also. At the very least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. In fact, I simply went for it. And actually, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Early morning WP, set off as it’s very own property to make sure that I can expand it a lot more purposefully too.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s own media entity and grown independently. Happily RV was young, so very easy to transition. Yet, The Morning WP (previously The Side) was hidden in a sea of things here at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s very own. It will obviously always be closely connected with the Blog Marketing Academy, however doesn’t need to belong of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was developed for this function. FluentCRM was not.
Newsletters Versus Simply A Typical Email List
There’s a difference in between a newsletter platform and just an e-mail list.
You can hold your e-mail list just about anywhere you desire and there are a number of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted choices like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The main difference is that, with a newsletter platform, the act of publishing indicates that it is mosting likely to your web site and to your e-mail subscribers concurrently.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are releasing to that web site. But, you are additionally dispatching to all customers at the same time. The website and it’s clients are done in one. This makes management of the platform much easier.
With the majority of email platforms, any kind of newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is developed completely individually from your web site. So, as an example, you may release a post to WordPress however after that you would require to separately construct and send an e-mail to your list to send it to subscribers. These are after that 2 separate sets of archives and two different activities since article and your e-mails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress into a true newsletter platform is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name because it pretty much “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress messages and permits them to be the exact same point. Definitely, something like Newsletter Glue would be a solid option if I intended to remain to self-host everything. Nevertheless, you ‘d lose the growth devices that come with a platform like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter inherently features a various set of demands than a regular e-mail listing.
You don’t normally require much marketing automation. You do not generally need autoresponder sequences, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO demand, however, is one seamless publishing experience and growth devices to help you construct your customer base that are specific to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my clients that I was mosting likely to switch the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many people ask me why I was picking it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the reality that I chose to opt for BeeHiiv, that does not indicate I assume Substack draws. Actually, since Substack has been around much longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair points that at first got my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly customized to e-newsletter authors. In fact, it is actually developed by the very same individuals that built the modern technology behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real life, doesn’t matter. Yet, the apparent positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter growth called me out over the more common positioning of being a “developer”. Growth is what I want below.
- That branding and distinction also means that BeeHiiv has some fairly large brand names and huge magazines utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is aimed even more at solo designers. Once again, it just tells me the consumer character distinction between both companies.
Sending our my e-newsletter using FluentCRM really did not specifically suck. The only factor I would consider drinking things up is if I assumed I could GROW the checklist quicker. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
Due to the targeting, I in fact don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as direct competitors. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a various sort of customer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra direct rivals.
But, let’s dive deeper than simply the positioning here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Generally, BeeHiiv appears like it was developed by individuals who recognizing email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems extra tailored toward designers.
For instance, BeeHiiv offers personalized fields on customers. Now, it isn’t as established as something like FluentCRM. However, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv provides Automations. As a matter of fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a whole lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still rather restricted in triggers and the only action is the capacity to send an email. Nevertheless, enhancements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will have new triggers as well as new activities, such as changing custom-made areas, sending webhooks, and so on. I have actually currently seen enhancements to their automations simply given that I started utilizing the system. For instance:
- Capacity to trigger automations based on which specific embed kind they was available in on.
- Ability to immediately do re-engagement (and handle people based upon opens and non-opens).
- Capability to do fundamental conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack just can not do this because the target audience of Substack just wouldn’t believe to approach this like an email marketing expert.
When it involves creating your newsletters, the writing interface of BeeHiiv is just a lot more tailored towards e-newsletters. As a matter of fact, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in how it works. I find it to be much more intuitive, directly.
Substack’s creating user interface behaves and clean, yet it would certainly be extra equal to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is greater than simply type. For example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Area” and then put anything you want in it. After that, you can put Visibility alternatives on that particular area to show it just to paid customers, conceal it from e-mail, conceal from customers, show only to clients, etc. Substack uses absolutely nothing like this.
And when/if the moment comes that I begin a premium membership design, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any kind of revenue. Actually, you essentially attach as much as your own Stripe account and it bills directly to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your earnings. Depending on the amount of subscribers you obtain, that 10% can be a fair bit more cash than the regular monthly cost of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This may appear nerdy, but what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can actually make BeeHiiv deal with the outdoors using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations in all.
Generally, I simply felt like BeeHiiv was more built toward genuine e-mail marketing. It was built by people who “get it”. Even the opt-in forms and the landing page creates seem much better developed for conversions. Growth is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I would like to see BeeHiiv add, I such as the direction it is going more than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually said, Substack settings itself towards “makers” more than e-mail marketing professionals and newsletter owners. Therefore, you see some points geared extra towards people who just believe in regards to content development.
As an example, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Additionally, while BeeHiiv does sustain numerous magazines, they are treated fairly separately. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to numerous publications at the same time. This isn’t something I need, however … awesome for people who may require it.
Substack additionally has even more social functionality built-in. As an example, it has a conversation function to host chats with clients. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which works sort of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share things from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Interesting. On the whole, Substack is established to be extra like a social media network which sustains long-form material.
In general, Substack is also a lot more … minimalist. You either care for that or don’t. Directly, I do not. Nevertheless, if the objective is simpleness of user interface and, truthfully, features … Substack functions rather well.
Yet, I’ll be clear here …
When it comes to actual marketing, I do not think there’s much uncertainty that BeeHiiv is better fit. I looked for even more factors that make Substack far better than BeeHiiv, yet frankly … I have a difficult time discovering them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are frequently through to be the closest rivals, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are going after the same target market and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is likewise placed at creators (like Substack), however it is a lot more strongly dealing with individuals who do it for company. ConvertKit has nice aesthetic automation building, it’s very own commerce platform, and more. ConvertKit is a really nice system.
I’m not mosting likely to bore you with a full feature-by-feature malfunction right here. ConvertKit is well known already. However, right here’s how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Points ConvertKit Is Better At …
Already, ConvertKit has extra adaptability when it involves it’s automations. I will certainly also say that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit much more user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains tagging. This is just a fundamental function of email lists that makes it possible for division in a much more versatile method than BeeHiiv currently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to sustain marking at some point soon, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Beehiiv Shopify Integration.
ConvertKit does now provide the ability to offer things by means of their very own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is necessary to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would constantly pick a more straight option anyway. For me, I favor to utilize my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has actually been about a lot longer and because of that has way more integration choices. Tons of web-based tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their own WordPress plugin that is quite effective. As an example, their plugin currently also supports member-gated content in addition to auto-embed of your newsletter archives right into your website. Essentially, this a lot more carefully puts ConvertKit right into straight competition by having you be able to release to your website and your e-mail listing at the same time.
BeeHiiv is seriously lacking in these type of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll get there. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even hectic dealing with the growth tools of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Suggestion Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your newsletter with perks, but you can also pay per lead within the interior ad network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are really awesome features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of one of the most well known viral promotion systems for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface of what this means for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Beehiiv Shopify Integration
BeeHiiv is much previously in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests less features and much less integrations, which is all-natural for this stage of the cycle. Nonetheless, it also means that they are rapidly establishing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have experienced practically weekly release of new features right into the system. And these aren’t undersized little features … but huge features that are rather essential. Their rate of advancement at this moment has actually gone over.
I likewise quite value exactly how responsive they are. Actually, among their item statements regarding some layout improvements to the web design features really included a little trouble with the web content width. I just responded to that e-mail to tell them. I swiftly got a reply directly from the CEO:.
That exact same day, the issue was repaired.
Few days later, I gave them an additional tip …
Sure enough, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to trigger automations based on the embed kind made use of was included in the system.
That type of responsiveness and direct involvement of the group is something I truly appreciate.
Another major point of differentiation below is the price. Both platforms offer cost-free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan offers more ability and even more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
When you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is also even more positive. ConvertKit appears less expensive in the beginning glimpse since their pricing page reveals lower numbers, nonetheless the client limitations are FAR reduced and your price rapidly raises as your list expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid every year), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. That very same dimension listing is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I directly utilize), you can expand your checklist approximately 100,000. A listing of that dimension would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, as well, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay annually, too. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay each year.
BeeHiiv remains in a totally various organization when it comes to pricing (in a good way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually enhance prices? They might as time takes place. Yet, I’m thinking individuals like myself that are already in will be locked-in. We’ll see exactly how things proceed.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of the things you definitely require to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do seem to progress instead rapidly and make brand-new product statements rather typically, yet there are some fundamental features I truly desire they had that I require to just await.
One is that they need to have a setting on registration types where I can choose an automation to run right at the form degree. That would certainly be incredible for numerous factors. Currently, membership types look OK, yet there’s extremely little setups for them to aid in division.
It would certainly be nice to have identifying at the subscriber degree. This would be effective.
I think webhooks ought to become part of automations to make built-in automations less complicated and reduce reliance on outdoors devices like Zapier.
There are likewise some minor management interface adjustments that would certainly come in handy. For example:
- Capability to bulk edit/remove subscribers.
- Ability to bulk edit articles (for instance, to tag a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a few fundamental areas as conventional on customers (like the name).
- Some more personalization options for the web site (such as even more adaptable color selections, heading control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Things I wish they perform with it in the future. BeeHiiv is respectable, however it isn’t best and definitely not almost as established as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM item.
It probably never ever will certainly be, either. As I said, the purpose is different so it wouldn’t a lot a great deal of feeling for BeeHiiv to become a complete marketing automation system. I think you never ever recognize, though.
Final Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Review
I such as BeeHiiv quite a great deal. Enough where I chose to switch my very own newsletters over to the system in spite of my individual choice for digital sovereignty and possessing my very own platform.
Basically, for the newsletter posting version particularly, I saw enough worth in their platform to warrant the change.
Keep in mind, I do not use BeeHiiv as my special email list. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is proficient at, but I deliberately have things set up so that I likewise keep my checklist “in house” inside of FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is just an excellent insurance coverage, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your checklist will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the inquiry is … should YOU utilize BeeHiiv?
In my viewpoint, if you are utilizing Substack now, I ‘d most definitely take into consideration changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be much more business-friendly. It is targeting different abilities and various needs. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the button should be rather straightforward.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a huge email listing and are therefore being wooled with their high month-to-month bill. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are iterating promptly. There’s likewise a pretty good opportunity you’re not also making use of a few of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t even need them. Because of that, BeeHiiv could conveniently be a better and extra budget friendly fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be very intentional regarding growing an e-newsletter, I think BeeHiiv is THE system to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you utilize BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is developed to be, it is just one of the best games in the area now. This is the system to see.
BeeHiiv provides a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth having a look at for yourself. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll find the cost-free account to be fairly feature abundant.